CLASS 3A SEMIS: Susan Moore no match for Connell, PCA
By TIM GAYLE
BIRMINGHAM – Trying to match up with Ella Jane Connell proved to be too much for the Susan Moore Bulldogs.
The Prattville Christian guard drove the lane early and went to the foul line late to give the Panthers a 70-56 win over the Bulldogs in the Class 3A semifinals at Bill Harris Arena on Monday morning.
“What a game,” PCA coach Jason Roberson said. “I really applaud Susan Moore. It looked like there were stretches in the game when we were in control. Those girls never gave up. They’re 31-2 for a reason.”
Prattville Christian (27-6) will face the winner of Monday’s Sylvania-T.R. Miller game on Friday at 9 a.m. for the 3A state championship. PCA lost in the 2A finals in its first year as an AHSAA program in 2013 and reached the semifinals two years ago before losing to Pisgah, but this group will be playing for their first state title on Friday.
“Every high school team wants to make it to the state championship,” PCA junior forward Hannah Jones said. “It’s a rare opportunity.”
Monday’s battle quickly shaped as a battle of the stars, with Connell taking command early while PCA’s defense did its work on Susan Moore’s Hallie Holmes in the first half.
“I do feel confident with the ball in my hand and that’s what my team needed me to do,” said Connell, who finished with 30 points and four assists, hitting 16 of 20 attempts at the free-throw line. “I was trying to stay aggressive and they were calling the fouls so I was trying to get a foul every time.”
Holmes never did find her groove from the perimeter – she was 1 of 8 from the 3 point line – but she had seven field goals closer to the basket and was a perfect 8 of 8 at the free-throw line to finish with 25 points.
That was almost enough to bring the Bulldogs back as Susan Moore, trailing by 14 points with three minutes remaining, staged a furious rally that cut the lead to five points with a little under two minutes remaining.
“We were doubling No. 2 (Connell), putting a lot more pressure on their ball handlers and causing them to turn over the ball some,” Susan Moore coach Natasha Smallwood said. “We got some steals that created offensive points that we told them before the game would be a key.”
After a Connell turnover, the PCA defense tightened and forced a 3-point miss by Holmes. Jones recorded one of her 12 rebounds, Roberson called a timeout to calm his squad and the Panthers put away the game at the free-throw line, hitting 9 of 10 attempts in the final 67 seconds.
Jones had 19 points and 12 rebounds for PCA, followed by Avery Rogers with 11 points and CoCo Thomas with 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Panthers hit 29 of 36 free-throw attempts in the game.